Mr. Shin has ulterior motives.

Indonesia's U.21 team

The Indonesian national team's squad for the 2024 AFF Cup has been revealed. Because the tournament falls within the FIFA Days period, coach Shin Tae-yong was unable to call up many stars playing in the US and Europe, such as goalkeeper Maarten Paes, defender Nathan Tjoe-A-On, midfielder Thom Haye, or striker Ragnar Oratmangoen.

The Indonesian national team's squad for the 2024 AFF Cup now only includes three naturalized players: Rafael Struick (Brisbane Roar), Ivar Jenner (FC Utrecht), and Justin Hubner (Wolverhampton Wanderers). These are familiar naturalized faces, having previously helped Indonesia defeat Vietnam three times in the 2023 Asian Cup and the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. All three players have been given permission by their respective clubs to participate in the 2024 AFF Cup.

Indonesia's squad list for the 2024 AFF Cup.

Among Indonesia's "domestic" players, two standout stars are Asnawi Mangkualam (Port FC), Pratama Arhan (Suwon FC), and Marselino Ferdinan (Oxford United).

Asnawi previously played for the Indonesian U.19 and U.23 teams before joining the senior national team. The right-back of the Indonesian team possesses speed, good technique, and a unique defensive flair. He has faced Vietnamese football teams at various levels, most notably at the SEA Games 30 and 31 while playing for the Indonesian U.23 team, and later featured in matches between Indonesia and Vietnam in the AFF Cup and World Cup qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Pratama Arhan is familiar to Vietnamese fans thanks to his powerful throw-ins, creating a unique attacking strategy for the Indonesian national team. The Indonesian left-back also possesses good technique and the ability to overlap effectively. He currently plays for Suwon in South Korea.

Furthermore, young star Marcelino Ferdinand is making a name for himself after scoring a brace against Saudi Arabia in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Marcelino has also faced Vietnamese football teams at youth and senior levels. The player wearing the number 7 jersey possesses sharp tactical thinking and unpredictable speed.

The Indonesian team is missing several key players.

Besides a few key players, the majority of Indonesia's squad is very young, with no prior experience playing for the national team in the AFF Cup, such as Achmad Maulana (2003), Kadek Arel Priyatna (2005), Alfan Suaib (2004), Ronaldo Kwateh (2004), and Rivaldo Eneiro (2003)...

Coach Shin Tae-yong's intentions

The idea of ​​fielding the Indonesian U.21 team in the 2024 AFF Cup was previously mentioned by coach Shin Tae-yong, when the South Korean coach asserted that Indonesia needed to think about Asian and world competitions, instead of just focusing on the AFF Cup.

Shin also wants to use the AFF Cup to give opportunities to young stars who have not yet been able to secure a place in the Indonesian national team due to the influx of many naturalized players.

The Indonesian national team has earned 6 points from 6 matches in Group C of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, currently sitting in third place. Coach Shin's team recently defeated Saudi Arabia to become the Southeast Asian team with the most points in the third round. Indonesia's goal is to finish third or fourth in Group C to qualify for the fourth round.

At the 2024 AFF Cup, the Indonesian national team is in Group B along with Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Laos. Coach Shin's team will face Vietnam on December 15th at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/indonesia-mang-doi-u21-da-aff-cup-chi-con-3-sao-nhap-tich-ong-shin-co-y-do-185241125103922517.htm